The search for Federico Higuain's replacement is the story to watch in MLS Week 27, but an additional four storylines will complete your weekend preview.
Only five of the nine matches scheduled for this week will be covered in the coming slides. Each match will be dissected from a unique angle to intensify your viewing pleasure.
So, what exactly warrants your attention in Week 27?
Read on to find out.
Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, credit all statistics to the official MLS Press Box Stats and Standings.Begin Slideshow

With Major League Soccer’s continuing growth and recent signing and re-signing of Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan, the time is coming when American internationals will no longer need or want to go overseas.
It may be a little early to think about Jozy Altidore coming home, considering he just signed with Sunderland this summer, but the Black Cats' precarious position in the English Premier League as well as the pressures of finding regular playing time in a World Cup year can make strange things happen in the transfer market.
Here are five scenarios that could lure Altidore back home to MLS.
Paolo Di Canio Gets Fired
Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio is no stranger to controversy. As a player, Di Canio was repeatedly criticized for his use of fascist gestures while playing in Italy. He also has former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s nickname tattooed on his arm, in the past, Di Canio has proclaimed himself a fascist.
Taking over for Martin O’Neil late last season, Di Canio managed to keep Sunderland alive in the Premier League and avoided relegation. However, he still has much to prove as a manager, and should Sunderland be in relegation danger midseason, it wouldn’t be improbable that the Black Cats’ ...

When David Beckham first arrived in Major League Soccer in 2007, many wondered how much of an impact he would really have on the game here in America and how much of his coming to the U.S. was really just a media stunt by MLS.
And in the early years of his MLS career, those doubters looked correct. Beckham struggled to impact the L.A. Galaxy in a positive way, found himself being criticized by teammate and MLS stalwart Landon Donovan and drew ire from Galaxy fans who found his loan spells to AC Milan to be a sign of Beckham's waning commitment to the league and the Galaxy.
However, in his last two years, Beckham proved his value to the league, his club and their supporters, winning two MLS Cups.
Here are the five best goals from Beckham's tenure in MLS. Begin Slideshow

Longtime Los Angeles Galaxy and United States national team star Landon Donovan has reached an agreement with the Major League Soccer club on a multi-year contract extension with an official announcement scheduled for Wednesday, according to Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated.
The deal has since been confirmed by MLS comissioner Don Garber.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

The United States of America has produced plenty of world-class goalkeepers.
Be it English Premier League veterans Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tim Howard or a player like Tony Meola, who was forced to stand on his head on many occasions during the 1994 World Cup.
Point being is that the U.S. churns out outstanding goalkeepers consistently.
Perhaps a reason there is so much talent at the position has to do with Major League Soccer and just how difficult it is to nab a starting goalkeeper job in America’s top professional league.
As such, here is a look at the top five goalkeepers in Major League Soccer right now.Begin Slideshow

The home guard of the U.S. Men's National Team was in full action this past week. The LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo both started their CONCACAF Champions League campaigns while the MLS season entered the home stretch.
With two World Cup qualifiers coming up Sept. 6 at Costa Rica and Sept. 10 in Columbus hosting archrival Mexico, we can expect a new USMNT roster by early next week.
Since MLS stubbornly refuses to honor the FIFA International Match Calendar, any MLS players called to national team duty will miss key league games. Seattle Sounders players on the USMNT roster will miss two home games, Sept. 4 versus Chivas USA and Sept. 7 versus the Chicago Fire.
The league standings are tight in MLS and every game is crucial in securing a playoff birth.
Because all of the European-based players are free from club duty there is a strong possibility that the MLS playoff race will affect Jurgen Klinsmann's roster choices. Klinsmann will certainly call his MLS starters but clubs may be reluctant to release key players during the playoff chase to sit on the USMNT bench.
If Klinsmann doesn't call in a player for these qualifiers, it does not mean that player is out of the ...

This was the week in Major League Soccer where plenty of statements were made.
Montreal, New England, and Real Salt Lake all made statements with blowout wins, while the crowd for the Seattle vs. Portland match proved that the league can have a stadium crowd that rival the ones of Europe on its best night.
Were any of those statements good enough to boost one of those clubs into the top spot?
Continue reading the B/R MLS Power Rankings to find out.Begin Slideshow

The Seattle Sounders won’t be diving in the standings after Week 26. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Blas Perez inside the box.
Toronto FC and D.C. United continued their winless ways on Saturday. The two played to a 1-1 draw at RFK Stadium. The Chicago Fire had no issues in that department.The club captured an all-important 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City at home.
But some tough competition kept all of the aforementioned parties from making the list of best and worst from Week 26.
Read on to find out why.Begin Slideshow

Have you ever wondered which actor would play you were anyone to ever make a movie of your life? Well, these eight Major League Soccer players, including some of the biggest stars in the league, are already set with prominent lookalike actors already waiting in the wings.
Here are eight MLS players and their celebrity actor lookalikes.Begin Slideshow

More than 67,000 eyes will be fixated on Seattle in MLS Week 26. But there are four other stories that also warrant the attention of your eyesight this weekend.
The midweek action picked up with a battle between a pair of Western Conference elites. The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake ended a thrilling 90 minutes in a 3-3 draw. Both teams remain separated by three points in the standings.
FC Dallas snatched three points of their own. A 3-1 victory over Chivas USA snapped the club's 11-game winless streak.
Nine matches will follow this weekend. But with so much action on tap, what warrants your attention in Week 26?
Read on to find out.Begin Slideshow